NHL Midseason Awards: Trophy picks, runners-up & honorable mentions

The first half of the NHL season was full of surprises. The Nashville Predators sit atop the standings. Jakub Voracek leads the league in scoring. Look who’s four points behind, tied with stars Patrick Kane and Evgeni Malkin and Claude Giroux and Ryan Getzlaf. It’s Tyler Johnson, of course. Just like we all predicted.

If the season ended now, the playoffs would have five new teams: the Predators, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets. The Boston Bruins, who had the best record in the league in 2013-14, would have the last wild-card spot in the East. The awards would feature a lot of new faces, too, at least on this ballot:

HART TROPHY (most valuable player): Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

Rinne had hip problems in 2012-13 and posted a .910 save percentage, a career low. The Predators missed the playoffs for the first time in four years.

He had surgery and didn’t have a full summer of training. He developed an infection early in 2013-14, had another surgery and struggled when he returned. He ended up playing 24 games and posting a .902 save percentage, a new low. The Predators missed the playoffs again.

Now he’s healthy, confident and dominant, and the Predators have the best record in the league with a .725 points percentage. It’s no coincidence. For all the changes the Predators have made – new coach, new players, new system – Rinne’s return to form has made the biggest difference.

General manager David Poile put an emphasis on improved 5-on-5 play when he hired coach Peter Laviolette, and the Predators have become the best 5-on-5 team in the league based on the ratio of goals for and against (1.51). Rinne has had a lot to do with that. He has the best 5-on-5 save percentage (.944) among goalies who have played at least 18 games. Having Rinne in net has allowed Laviolette to be more aggressive offensively.

Runners-up:

— Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks are right behind the Predators, and Getzlaf has had to shoulder the load even more than usual because of illness and injury. He leads the team in scoring by 16 points.

— Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars: The Stars have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NHL. It hasn’t been Seguin’s fault. He ranks first in the league in goals with 26 and second in points with 47. He leads the Stars in scoring by 12 points. If he propels them into the playoffs in the second half, he could end up winning the Hart.

Honorable mentions: Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens; Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers.

VEZINA TROPHY (best goaltender): Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators

Rinne gets the Hart vote because he has made a bigger difference for his team than any other player. He gets the Vezina vote because he has been the best goaltender in the NHL. He leads the league in wins (27), goals-against average (2.00) and save percentage (.929) among netminders who have played at least 18 games.

Consider that Rinne has stopped the highest percentage of shots while facing the third-most shots (995). In other words, he has been the best and had almost the biggest sample size.

That said, there are other goaltenders worthy of both the Hart and Vezina. The competition has been extremely tight.

Runners-up:

— Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens: The Habs have not been a good possession team, but they have one of the best records in the league largely due to Price, who compares closely to Rinne. He has a .927 save percentage and has faced 988 shots.

— Roberto Luongo, Florida Panthers: Luongo is next in line. He has helped the Panthers contend for a playoff spot, with a .926 save percentage. He has faced 906 shots. Again, we’re splitting hairs. We need another half-season for some separation.

Honorable mentions: Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins; Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings.

NORRIS TROPHY (best all-around defenseman): Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames

Giordano was a thinking man’s choice for the Norris last season because of advanced stats. But the Flames were bad, 27th in the NHL, and he didn’t have the traditional stats to garner enough votes. He was 11th among defensemen in scoring with 47 points.

He gained attention this season when the Flames got off to a hot start, and he’s second among defensemen in scoring with 35 points, one off the lead. If the Flames continue to fade, that might hurt his candidacy. But he’s on pace for 20 goals and 70 points, and he doesn’t have as strong a team around him as other candidates do.

“He’s the whole package,” said Flames president Brian Burke. “He’s quick. He moves the puck well. He can carry the puck. He can shoot the puck. He’s got a high hockey IQ, and he works his ass off. He’s our captain. He’s great. He’s a blessing.”

Runners-up:

— Shea Weber, Nashville Predators: Once again, Weber is in contention. Maybe this season he will actually win it. Just remember: Nicklas Lidstrom was a runner-up three times before he finally won at age 30. It’s a hard award to win even for the best of the best. Weber’s day will come. He’s only 29.

— Kevin Shattenkirk, St. Louis Blues: It’s hard to put Shattenkirk over Duncan Keith and Drew Doughty, but it’s hard to ignore that he leads defensemen in scoring with 36 points and plays in all situations.

Honorable mentions: Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks; Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings.

SELKE TROPHY (best defensive forward): Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

This isn’t supposed to be an award for the best two-way centerman. But the best defense is possessing the puck, and Toews has driven possession for one of the best possession teams in the NHL. He handles tough matchups. He kills penalties. He wins faceoffs.

Patrick Kane is among the scoring leaders again, but Toews continues to be the backbone of what might very well be the best team in the league.

The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2013. They lost Game 7 of the Western Conference final last season on a deflection in overtime. Had the puck gone in the other net, they would have been favored in the Cup final over the New York Rangers. Now look: They have the best goal differential in the league by far at plus-39.

Runners-up:

— Ondrej Palat, Tampa Bay Lightning: Coach Jon Cooper has compared Palat to Patrice Bergeron, even though Palat is a left winger, Bergeron a centerman. Palat plays a defensive role on his line, helping gain possession of the puck and spring Johnson and Nikita Kucherov offensively. They have been the best line in the league. While Johnson is fifth in scoring, Kucherov is 11th. Johnson and Kucherov are tied for the league lead at plus-26. Palat is plus-22.

— Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings: Datsyuk has won the Selke three times, and when healthy, he is still elite at age 36. Not only does he have 14 goals and 30 points in 30 games this season, he is still coming back hard, lifting sticks and swiping pucks. He is maybe the only player in the league you’d pay just to watch backcheck.

Honorable mentions: Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings.

CALDER TROPHY (rookie of the year): Aaron Ekblad, Florida Panthers

Ekblad, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft, is having an incredible season. He leads rookie defensemen in scoring by 10 points. With 23 points in 38 games, he’s on pace for 48 over 82. That would be the second-most in history among defensemen who remained 18 at least through Feb. 1, behind only the 66 points Phil Housley produced in 1982-83.

While Willie Mitchell and Dmitri Kulikov generally take the toughest defensive assignments for the Panthers, Ekblad and Brian Campbell have had the freedom to flourish offensively. The kid and the vet think the game the same way and take calculated risks. Ekblad has shown poise with the puck and has averaged 22:01 of ice time a night, 3:01 on the power play. About the only thing he doesn’t do much yet is kill penalties.

Defensemen are not supposed to excel at 18. They are supposed to need much more time to develop. But Luongo said it best about Ekblad: “He doesn’t play like an 18-year-old. He plays like he’s been in the league 18 years.”

Runners-up:

— Filip Forsberg, Nashville Predators: Forsberg leads rookies in every offensive category: goals (14), assists (24) and points (38). His plus-23 rating leads rookies by far and ranks third in the NHL. What a pickup for the Predators, who acquired him from the Washington Capitals for Martin Erat and Michael Latta at the 2013 trade deadline. What a mistake by the Caps.

— Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames: The Flames weren’t sure what to expect from Gaudreau, a 5-foot-9 sparkplug who spent the last three seasons at Boston College. All he has given them is 13 goals and 31 points.

Honorable mentions: Michael Hutchinson, Winnipeg Jets; John Klingberg, Dallas Stars.

JACK ADAMS AWARD (coach of the year): Peter Laviolette, Nashville Predators

Coaches look good when they get good goaltending. Ask Paul MacLean, who won the Jack Adams in 2013 and has already been fired by the Ottawa Senators. Ask Patrick Roy, who won the Jack Adams last season and now has the Colorado Avalanche out of the playoff picture.

Laviolette owes a lot to Rinne, as we’ve already covered. But he has also taken a team that finished 19th last season and made all kinds of changes in the off-season, and he has put the pieces together, turned up the tempo and gone 27-9-4.

Runners-up:

— Paul Maurice, Winnipeg Jets: Maurice took over a floundering team almost exactly a year ago, and he has won largely with what was already there. He has gone 38-26-12 overall, and 20-14-7 this season. Lately he has patched things together despite a depleted blue line. Better goaltending has helped, too.

— Barry Trotz, Washington Capitals: The Capitals have gone through coach after coach. Trotz spent 15 seasons in Nashville. The Caps needed someone who could provide stability; Trotz needed a fresh start. So far, good pairing. The Caps are back in a playoff spot and seem to be making steady improvement.

Honorable mentions: Jack Capuano, New York Islanders; Willie Desjardins, Vancouver Canucks.

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